Many residential and light commercial structures are built on concrete foundation walls which are formed by pouring concrete into a system of forms that have been erected on a previously poured concrete footing. After the concrete has cured sufficiently, the forms are stripped from the concrete and in most cases soil is back filled on the exterior side of the concrete wall. Typically, the base of each foundation wall is supported on a concrete footing, which is wider than the thickness of the wall itself. Ideally, the centerline of the wall is aligned with the centerline of the footing. The footing spreads the load of the structure over a greater area and prevents uneven loading of the foundation wall.
As set forth, once the footing is in place and hardened, a system of forms are constructed over the footing. Such system of forms have typically been constructed using expensive and reusable forms. These forms are typically made of metal and are, thus, very heavy and extremely labor-intensive to assemble and remove after pouring the concrete. Further, due to the significant investment of reusable metal forms, concrete laborers will typically pass the cost on to others for their services. As a result, various other concrete form systems for cement walls have been proposed as alternatives to the heavy metal forms.
One recent development in this field is the use of expanded polystyrene panels, known as insulated concrete forms. These newer form systems utilize pairs of horizontally extending foam panels which are connected in parallel with a series of rigid plastic ties. Complete wall form systems are typically created by vertically stacking these horizontally extending paired foam panels into larger arrays. Concrete is then poured between the panels of the completed foam wall form system. The thickness of the poured concrete walls can be adjusted by the selection and utilization of form ties of appropriate size. Subsequent to concrete hardening these foam panels are left in place to serve as insulation.
Although such insulated concrete forms are lighter than the conventional metal form systems, the forms are bulky and, therefore, the cost for shipping such forms can be expensive. Further, due to the bulky and cumbersome nature of these forms, they are highly susceptible to the inherent risk of damage during transportation and even during installation. Another problem with the insulated concrete forms is the requirement for numerous different types of parts to fit the variations of the footprint of both residential and commercial construction. Due to these numerous different parts and sizes, the insulated concrete forms are high in cost to manufacture and therefore, such high cost is past on to the consumers and builders. Furthermore, the numerous different types of parts in the insulated concrete forms are complicated to construct and require skilled laborers who understand the complexities for such construction. In addition, another inherent problem with the insulated concrete forms is the difficulty to match such forms to the predetermined required lengths along the footing usually evident at corners and ends, in which shortening the forms by cutting and then adhesively repairing the forms is required, often leaving the forms in a damaged state with reduced structural integrity. Such problem further increases the complexity and time required to build the forms in preparation to pour the concrete.
Another problem with prior art systems, particularly conventional metal forms, involves the installation of rebar, wire mesh, or other reinforcing members between the parallel panels that are to be embedded within the finished foundation wall. The techniques employed typically involve various means and methods for suspending rebar haphazardly between the panels with wire ties. Although such wire ties have been used for years, inaccurate placement of the rebar is common, often resulting in unsatisfactory reinforcement of the foundation walls. Further, such wire tying techniques are labor intensive, time consuming and a tedious process.
Based on the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a concrete form system that is low in cost for builders and, thus, the home owner, minimizes the waste of form materials, provides a non-complicated system with less part types and that inherently can be adjusted to any required lengths for ends and corners or overall footprints required for the foundation walls. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a concrete form system that is less labor intensive, light weight and compact and, further, provides for ready and precise assembly of reinforcing rebar materials to be placed in concrete forms.